


Home Is Where You Are

by CanineKitten



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Anal Sex, Awkward First Times, M/M, Post-Fourth Shinobi War, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-25
Updated: 2018-06-25
Packaged: 2019-05-13 17:53:48
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,893
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14753537
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CanineKitten/pseuds/CanineKitten
Summary: Naruto had been oblivious to Sasuke's feelings, and to his own. It took them a full-blown war to finally come to terms with it.





	1. What are we?

**Author's Note:**

> I haven't felt inspired to write something Naruto-related for a while now, but I figured that I could check if I had some decent fics in the works that needed minor tweaking. Turns out, I did. This isn't gonna be a long story. I'm guessing three or four chapters at most. Rating will go up due to sexual themes.

 

They were going home. Finally. It felt like the war had lasted for months, although it had only been days. Naruto felt exhausted to his bones. They were travelling back home in groups of about fifty to hundred shinobi. Their group was one of the bigger ones, mainly, Naruto supposed, because of Sasuke. He was constantly watched by at least two shinobi. He hadn’t made any attempt to flee, and he hadn’t questioned or refused the treatment he’d gotten. Yet, Naruto constantly caught himself checking if Sasuke was nearby. If he wasn’t, he immediately looked for him. He didn’t know if he could take it if he disappeared again.

The going was slow because of all the injured shinobi. It had been estimated that the trek back home would take about three days, if they made good time. They were setting up camp for the night at the first day of travel and Naruto was as usual looking around to check that Sasuke was close by. He was helping raising the tents in the medical ward together with Sakura. Naruto wondered if Sasuke was doing it to be nice, or because he felt he couldn’t say no to her.

A little later in the evening, they assembled around a campfire for dinner. Sasuke left early and headed towards the woods. Naruto kept an eye on him.

“Naruto, you’re herding him like a sheep dog,” Kiba commented.

The others chuckled.

“That’s a really good analogy,” Chouji said.

“I’m just afraid he’ll run away again,” Naruto said. “Where is he going, anyway?”

“Don’t worry,” Shikamaru said. “Tsunade has four shinobi on him now. They’re on high alert and will warn us immediately if he tries to escape.”

“You need to trust him,” Sakura said. “He came with us willingly. I don’t think he’ll just leave after all this.”

Naruto couldn’t shake the worry anyway. He wolfed down the last of his food and went after Sasuke.

“Goddammit,” Kiba muttered. “Is he never gonna stop following him?”

 

\------

 

Naruto followed Sasuke down to the river that they’d camped right next to. There was a patch of sand on the bank where the water flowed more slowly. Naruto slowed down when he saw Sasuke standing on the bank. He knew where the four shinobi were hiding, and he knew Sasuke probably did too. He tried to blend in with the trees and bushes around him in order to not draw Sasuke’s attention. He’d been as quiet as he possibly could while he followed him and he had a good feeling that he might not have been discovered yet. He hunched down behind some bushes when Sasuke looked to be about to turn. After a moment he peeked out between some leaves. His mouth got dry at what he saw. Sasuke was undressing. For a wild moment, Naruto’s mind went rampant with questions of what Sasuke thought he was doing. Then he realized he was going to take a bath. Earlier that day, right after they’d camped, the other guys had went to this place to wash of, but Sasuke hadn’t come with. Naruto didn’t know why. Was he shy? He hardly thought so. Maybe he just liked some privacy.

The water must be chilly at this hour. The sun had set an hour ago, and the day hadn’t exactly been warm in the beginning. Naruto found he couldn’t look away. He knew he should, but the voice that tried to tell him so was weak, barely more than a whisper. He felt a swell of warmth in the pit of his stomach when Sasuke slipped out of his pants and boxers. His skin looked extra pale in the cold light of the moon. He waded out into the water and sat down so that it covered him to the waist. Then he started running his hand over his skin with a piece of soap. His movements were slow and almost reverent.

His back was towards Naruto, so he didn’t feel that he had to be so careful with hiding himself. Maybe he got a little too bold because Sasuke suddenly stopped what he was doing and turned to look right at him. Naruto froze. He didn’t even dare to breathe.

Sasuke remained motionless for a moment, like he was listening, and then he abruptly looked away and continued washing. Naruto loosened his tense muscles little by little, and retreated into the woods. He knew he hadn’t made a sound, had barely breathed for fear of being discovered, so how had Sasuke noticed him?

Maybe he hadn’t… Maybe he’d heard something else. But no matter how many times Naruto tried to tell himself that, he couldn’t shake the feeling that somehow, Sasuke had known that he’d been watched.

 

\------

 

That night, Naruto lay quietly on his back on the thin sleeping mat in his one-man tent, and imagined that he could hear Sasuke’s soft breathing from the tent next-door.

 

\------

 

Naruto hurried to take down his own tent the next morning so that he could offer to help Sakura before Sasuke did. He didn’t know what was going on with those two, but he didn’t like the fact that they seemed to get along so well lately. It made him uneasy. It wasn’t how it had used to be… before…

“Sakura-chan!” he exclaimed when he saw her helping Shizune change a patients bandages. “Do you need help with anything?”

“How nice of you to offer,” Sakura said with a bright smile. “As a matter of fact, I could use some help.”

 

\------

 

An hour later, Naruto regretted ever discovering his newfound chivalrousness. Sasuke could have it for all he cared. He was never volunteering to take down a medical ward again. So many things to sort through, so many heavy crates… His back was aching.

He ate breakfast with the group. Sasuke wasn’t there. His tent was gone too.

Naruto asked around, but no one had seen him lately. He was about to launch into full search mode with clones and all, when he spotted Sasuke walking along next to Kakashi. He ran over to them.

“Hey, what’s up?”

“Naruto,” Kakashi said. “I was wondering when you’d show up.”

Naruto frowned. Before he could ask what he meant with that, Kakashi excused himself and left.

“What’s he talking about?”

Sasuke shrugged. He walked towards the woods.

“Where are you going? We were just done with breakfast, there’s probably some left.”

“I’m not hungry,” Sasuke said without turning.

Naruto hesitated for a second before he followed him.

He’d halfway expected Sasuke to tell him to knock it off and leave him alone. He didn’t. Naruto followed him through the woods, deeper and deeper in among the tall, dark trees, until they reached the top of a hill. They could see far out over the forest around them. To the north, several columns of smoke welled up from among the trees. That was their camp. In the east, they could see the ragged tops of a mountain range, and above that, the first, pink tint of daylight.

Sasuke sat down on the damp ground, and Naruto sat down next to him. He leaned back against a rock. They sat together in silence while they watched the sun rise. Naruto breathed in the fresh air and reveled in the quiet of the forest.

After a time, Sasuke broke the silence.

“Naruto…”

“That’s my name.”

“… There’s something I’ve wanted to talk to you about.”

Naruto sat up. “Oh no… You sound serious. Is it something bad?”

Sasuke hesitated. “…There’s this one thing that I don’t understand.”

Naruto snorted. “And you’re admitting it?”

Sasuke didn’t take the bait. “What are we?”

Naruto halfway expected him to continue, because the question alone didn’t make sense. “We? You mean… the two of us, or humans in general?”

“The two of us.”

Sasuke was really acting strange. He was so somber… almost a little melancholic.

“We’re friends. I thought we’d gone over this already.”

“No,” Sasuke said. “I might not have much experience with friendships, but I know that friends don’t usually go as far for each other as what you did.”

“Then we’re special friends, I guess.”

“… And… nothing else but that?”

“What else is there?”

Naruto got a sudden onslaught of memories of the warm feeling he often got around Sasuke, and especially from yesterday when he watched him undress…

“What are you getting at?” he asked.

Sasuke faced him. “What do you think I’m getting at?” His voice was haughty, and his eyes were dark, challenging. But there was a flicker of doubt in that look too, like the soft shiver of a nervous heartbeat.

Naruto frowned. Was Sasuke toying with him?

“I… I don’t know…”

“Not even if you try a little harder?”

Naruto wouldn’t stand being talked down to like that when he didn’t even understand what was going on.

He stood in a rush. “If you want to say something, then just say it,” he bit out. “I’m not gonna play guessing games with you.”

He strode away when Sasuke remained tightlipped. He hadn’t taken more than a few steps when something hard hit the back of his head. He turned with a cry of anger, clutching his abused head. Sasuke had thrown a goddamn stick at his head!

Sasuke was standing up now. “You want me to say it?” His voice was calm and crystal clear, and something about it scared Naruto. He didn’t want to hear what Sasuke had to say, but he couldn’t make himself walk away. He was rooted to the spot, held in place by Sasuke’s demanding gaze.

“Or do you already know it, Naruto?”

What was happening? Why was his heart galloping? Why was his breath catching in his throat?

Sasuke walked slowly closer to him, and Naruto didn’t move an inch, not even when Sasuke was so close that if he took a step closer, they would be touching. He could feel Sasuke’s breath on his cheek, slow and steady.

He’d forgotten to lower his hand, it was still clutching the back of his head. He rubbed the sore spot one last time before letting his hand drop. Slowly, he lifted his eyes. Sasuke was staring right at him, but his gaze was somewhat softer.

“I think that I…” he started, but then he trailed off. He swallowed. “I might have…”

He lifted his hand, and placed it lightly over Naruto’s elbow. A shudder went through Naruto. He stared at the hand touching him. That pale, slender, strong hand that he, despite everything, knew so well and still had never been touched so gently by before.

Sasuke moved his hand upwards, till it was resting on Naruto’s shoulder. Their gazes met and it felt like time slowed. Naruto didn’t feel the soft breeze playing with his hair anymore, or the radiant rays of sunlight caressing his face. He didn’t dare to blink, out of fear that he’d dispel the moment if he did. Sasuke’s eyes looked clear and deep in the soft morning-light. There was a vulnerability there that made Naruto’s heart clench.

He knew… He knew what Sasuke had been talking about. Deep in his heart, he knew. He closed his eyes when Sasuke leaned closer, and tipped his head slightly to the side so that their lips could meet. 

The kiss was hesitant. Sasuke lips were warm and a bit dry. Naruto moistened his lips with his tongue when Sasuke pulled back a bit. He didn’t pull away, but remained there, waiting… And then he moved in again, leant closer, pressed his lips more firmly to Naruto’s, and stayed there. 

It was a sweet and wondrous feeling. Naruto felt a bit bubbly inside, like there was joy in there that just waited to be released. He put his arm around Sasuke’s neck to hold him in place, and Sasuke melted into the embrace. Their lips moved against each other, molding together till they hardly knew where one started and the other ended.

Naruto felt desire run wild and hot through him, making his blood buzz and his body jittery. He pulled Sasuke even closer, as close as he could get, and Sasuke put his arm around his waist and hugged him closer too.

Naruto poked his tongue out to touch Sasuke’s lips, and was met by the wet, welcoming heat of Sasuke’s tongue. He dragged his tongue over the tip of Sasuke’s, and heard him groan softly. Naruto clawed at the back of Sasuke’s sweater. His fingers dug into the fabric, massaging Sasuke’s shoulders.

Sasuke tilted his head a bit, his nose pressed to Naruto’s cheek, and his tongue brushed over Naruto’s. They kissed for a long while, until they were too out of breath and their lips were sore and swollen. Then they just stayed in each-others embrace, noses pressed against the warm skin of the other’s neck, the others hair tickling their faces.

Naruto breathed in Sasuke’s scent, and memorized it. He’d never felt it so up-close before, never so potent and intoxicating, but he’d always known it. It had stayed the same even after Sasuke had been away for so long. Even after having fought for several days straight, after having changed clothes a dozen times, after having changed so much.

Naruto couldn’t name the scent if he tried to. It was just… naturally Sasuke’s… It was the scent that remained on his clothes and bed-clothes after he’d used them. A scent that Naruto had learned to recognize after the times they were on missions before Sasuke left, and the two of them shared a room…

The feeling in his chest went over to become a slowly rising wave of something inexplicable and huge… Something that made his heart swell and hurt at the same time. The familiarity of this – of finally being able to be close to him without preparing to fight – was releasing a pain that was rooted in longing and confusion and heartache.

Naruto wanted to stop the tears that pushed on, but he couldn’t. They welled up and spilled down his cheeks, and soaked into Sasuke’s hair and clothes. The pain rolled through him, wave after wave, wrenching out of him in helpless sobs, until he didn’t have more breath left and his tears were dried out.

Sasuke had just held him tighter as he cried, and Naruto was pretty sure he’d felt something wet land on his ear. When they broke apart, Sasuke’s eyes were a bit red-rimmed. They waked back to the camp in a slow, measured gait, not feeling in a hurry to be back to real life. Naruto wanted to hold Sasuke’s hand, but at the same time he wondered if that would be pushing it.

He held back. Instead, he walked close enough to Sasuke that their shoulders brushed at times, and reveled in the fact that Sasuke seemed to gravitate closer to him as well.

 


	2. Common Ground

 

When they made camp the next night, Naruto was in a good mood. He was looking forward to coming home, but the travel was tolling and his injuries weren’t properly healed yet. He had trouble keeping up the pace the others set, and felt so tired he was nearly wrung out in the evening.

But today, everything had felt a little easier, and he wasn’t as tired in the evening as he’d been the day before. Sakura looked over his injuries, and said they were starting to look much better. He ate with gusto that night, even thought the food was scarce and tasteless.

He made sure to place his tent next to Sasuke’s, like usual, but this time he placed it even closer. Sasuke worked diligently and tirelessly, but if one looked closely, he seemed a bit paler than normal, and there were shadows under his eyes. He was in more pain than he let on, and Sakura had noticed it too. She hovered around him with advices of getting some rest and eating well.

Naruto sat next to Sasuke during dinner, and Sakura sat on the other side, watching Sasuke with intent care. Naruto thought about Sakura’s feelings for Sasuke, about her continued love and caring for him, and realized he had suddenly become her rival. He wasn’t sure whether Sasuke cared about her as much as she did for him, but he’d always thought that he didn’t.

But one could never know… Lately he’d been more grateful towards her and had taken to showing that he noticed her. He didn’t call her annoying anymore, but that might be because he felt guilty about how he’d treated her…

Naruto let his thigh rest against Sasuke’s while they ate. He’d been longing for the contact the whole day. Sasuke didn’t move away, but rather pressed closer.

 

\------

 

Naruto lay awake for a long time after they went to bed that night. He listened to the camp quieting down. There would be guards set out to keep watch during the night, but everyone else seemed to have gone to bed. It was quiet aside from the crackling of the campfire, and the rush from the river nearby.

Naruto waited till he was entirely sure that no one was outside, and then he snuck out and darted over to Sasuke’s tent. He hesitated for a second outside. He wasn’t sure if Sasuke would appreciate this nightly visit, but after the kiss that morning, Naruto had been unable to think about anything else.

He whispered Sasuke’s name before he snuck in, just to make sure he wasn’t mistaken for an attacker. He closed the flap behind him and waited for a second until his eyes had gotten used to the darkness. The tent was small, like Naruto’s, with barely some room on the side of the sleeping mat for clothes and supplies.

Sasuke was lying with his back to Naruto, and he didn’t move when Naruto came in.

“Hey,” Naruto whispered. “Are you awake?”

Sasuke turned. He said nothing, just watched Naruto.

“Is this okay?” Naruto asked.

“What do you want?”

“Um…” Naruto hadn’t thought much about that. “I just thought we’d… I dunno…”

He trailed off.

Sasuke reached out his hand. “Come here.”

Grateful, Naruto crept into his embrace, and snuggled under the blankets together with him. He was wearing only a t-shirt and thin pants. Sasuke was wearing much the same attire. They’d been offered some cheap, extra clothes after their own clothes got ruined, but the clothes were itchy and smelled strange.

Naruto burrowed his nose in the crook of Sasuke’s neck, and snuggled close up to his side. Sasuke’s right arm was under his head, and Naruto’s left arm was trapped between them. Naruto mouthed the skin of Sasuke’s neck. He kissed it, and thought he heard Sasuke swallow thickly. He shuffled upwards a bit and leant in to kiss Sasuke’s jaw, and then his cheek. He moved slowly up towards his mouth, until Sasuke got tired of waiting and turned his head and captured his lips.

Naruto laid back down on the pillow, his mouth opening against Sasuke’s, allowing his tongue inside. Sasuke leant over Naruto so that he got a slight advantage, but Naruto found that he didn’t mind. He liked the heaviness of Sasuke’s chest pressed against his, and the firm but gentle way in which Sasuke kissed him.

Sasuke was a good kisser… Or Naruto thought so, anyway. He was fairly inexperienced in that area so he didn’t have much to compare with.

He wondered if Sasuke had done this before.

The thought wouldn’t leave him. When they broke apart to get back their breath, he had to ask. Sasuke nodded against his cheek. “Yeah.”

“When?” Naruto said when he got his voice back after the shock. He didn’t know why he was shocked in the first place – Sasuke had always been popular – but he felt something twist painfully inside him never the less.

“A long time ago,” Sasuke whispered. He kissed Naruto’s cheekbone.

“With whom?”

“Just someone I met after I joined Orochimaru.”

Sasuke moved to kiss Naruto on the lips, but Naruto put his hands on his chest, stopping him.

“… Boy or girl?”

“Boy.”

“Was he old?”

“Why’d you ask that?”

“I dunno… I just want to know.”

“He was my age.”

Sasuke moved in for the kiss again, but Naruto didn’t relent. He had more questions.

“Did you do more than kissing?”

This time Sasuke sighed.

“No,” he finally said.

Naruto felt some of the tenseness leave him.

“Did you love him?”

Sasuke didn’t answer with once, and Naruto felt worry creep in. It was dark inside the tent, so Sasuke’s expression was hard to read. He leant in and brushed his nose against Naruto’s cheek.

“No,” he said with finality.

He placed a tiny kiss at the corner of Naruto’s lip. Naruto could have cried with joy. He carded his fingers through Sasuke’s thick, smooth hair. As he was about to pull him down for a kiss, Sasuke stopped him.

“What about you?” He asked. “Have you kissed anyone before?”

Naruto shook his head. “No.” Suddenly he felt stupid for his lack of experience. “Not that I couldn’t have,” he added. “If I’d wanted to.”

Sasuke rested his chin on his palm. “But you didn’t want to?” He sounded amused, damn him.

Naruto blushed. He narrowed his eyes. “I didn’t feel inclined to. And besides, they were a decade older than me and worked at a brothel.”

He could feel every muscle in Sasuke’s body tense. “ _What?_ ”

“Uh, well… My sensei was a pervert. He went to brothels as soon as he could afford it.”

“How old were you? Fourteen?”

“Ah… Yeah, roughly. But he was a really good guy, though,” he added. “He was my fathers sensei too.”

“Right, your father the Yondaime Hokage.” Sasuke shook his head.

“I can’t believe no one told me about it,” Naruto mused. “Kakashi and Tsunade baa-chan and the third all knew, but they never said anything…”

Sasuke laid down next to him. “There’s a lot no one ever told us. We’re just tools to them...”

Naruto could hear the anger bleed into Sasuke’s voice. He reached up and pressed a finger to his lips. 

“Shh,” he said. “I know that we were treated unfair,” he added when he practically could feel the accusing gaze Sasuke had directed at him. “But I don’t want to talk about that right now. Please.”

Sasuke placed his arm under his head and said nothing more. He pushed his foot in between Naruto’s, and hooked them together.

“Do you think anyone will notice if I sleep here?” Naruto mused.

“I’m willing to chance it.” Sasuke sounded drowsy already.

Naruto poked his cheek. “Does sleeping beauty need his beauty sleep?”

Sasuke turned his face away and nudged Naruto’s leg with the heel of his foot.

“Oh, testy…” Naruto snickered.

“Idiot,” Sasuke grumbled under his breath.

 

\------

 

Naruto was a bit disoriented when he woke up the next morning. He was sweating, despite the fact that he usually woke up a bit chilled since the blanket he had was so thin. Also, there was unusually little space on the sleeping mat. He was pressed all the way to the edge of the mat so that he was almost lying on the ground… It took him a few seconds to realize that someone else was pressed up against his back. And then he remembered sneaking into Sasuke’s tent and everything made sense. Most of all the hardness he felt poking at his ass.

So the bastard wasn’t made out of ice after all. Naruto snickered. Somehow, the concept of Sasuke sporting morning wood, no matter how trivial it was, amused him to no end. He nudged Sasuke, and got a grumpy groan in answer.

“Hey,” he said. “Wakey, wakey.”

Sasuke blinked. He looked disoriented for a second, a look that was incredibly adorable on him (that’s something Naruto never thought he’d think regarding Sasuke…), before he reassembled his bastardness and glared at Naruto.

“Don’t glare at me,” Naruto chided. “I’m not the one poking my boner at someone’s ass.”

It took a second for Sasuke to let that sink in, but when it did he lurched away from Naruto like he’d been burnt. And then he glared at Naruto like it was his problem.

“I don’t mind, though,” Naruto teased.

It seemed that they had overslept. The camp had long since woken up around them, and the smell of food drifted into the tent from outside. People were walking past their tent and talking outside, and Naruto realized he was going to have trouble getting unseen back to his own tent. He hadn’t been foreseeing enough to bring his shoes, so it would look exactly as what it was if he went out there.

Sasuke didn’t seem concerned. He changed into all-black, regular clothes, much like the ones Naruto had been forced to wear too. A long-sleeved sweater, black pants and black shoes. It was fitting for Sasuke, but Naruto felt that black looked too gloomy on him so he’d managed to talk the suppliants into at least giving him a blue sweater. Said sweater was now lying in his tent along with the rest of his clothes.

“You can’t leave me in here,” Naruto hissed when Sasuke moved to the tents opening.

“I’ll tell you when it’s clear,” Sasuke said and disappeared outside.

Not long after, Naruto heard Sakura’s voice, and Sasuke answering her. Oh no… If she saw Naruto now it’d be bad… Really bad…

He didn’t want to loose Sakura as a friend, but he wasn’t sure she’d be able to forgive him if she knew what he and Sasuke had been up to. Still, he’d tried living for four years without Sasuke, and it hadn’t worked very well. Not even Sakura could make him give up on him now.

Naruto prepared to wait for however long it took before Sasuke gave him clearance, but the minutes ticked by and nothing happened. He started wondering if Sasuke had forgotten him when he heard his voice outside.

“You can come out now.”

Naruto hurried to slip out the opening. No one was around just then, but he was hidden from sight only as long as he stayed down. He snuck over to his own tent and slipped inside just in time before someone walked past.

Sasuke had left when Naruto had dressed and came out of the tent. He sighed and set off to localize him. Why was it that Sasuke always managed to disappear from his sight? He finally found him on his way to one of the campfires and was about to call out to him when someone beat him to it.

“Sasuke-kun!”

Naruto took himself in glaring at Sakura as Sasuke turned towards her just at the sound of his name.

“Have you eaten yet?” Sakura asked. “You can come with me if you want to.”

Naruto was stunned when Sasuke nodded and left with her. He strode after them.

“Hey guys,” he said and squeezed in between them. He slung his arm around Sasuke shoulder. “Where are you heading off to?”

Sakura tried to give him a sign, presumably a ‘leave-us-alone’-sign, although it was hard to tell with her feverish blinking. Was it morse-code?

Naruto pretended not to get it.

“I was just about to get something to eat. Can I join you two?”

“We’re not-” Sakura started, just as Sasuke shrugged off Naruto’s arm and said, “Fine.”

Sasuke needed to up his game, Naruto thought. He barely put up any resistance. To those who knew him, he almost seemed… eager.

Sakura gave Sasuke an almost hurt look. Then she sighed. “Fine.”

They ate together, away from their group of friends. Naruto didn’t know why, but no matter how many times he tried to suggest they’d join them, Sakura came up with a half-assed excused to not doing it.

“What’s up with that?” Naruto finally asked. “Is something going on that I don’t know about?”

“Of course not,” Sakura snorted. “I’m just tired, that’s all. Actually, it’d be nice with a walk outside camp before we start packing, just to clear my head.”

She stared at Sasuke as she said it. Naruto frowned. He felt like he was being attempted squeezed out again.

“If anyone would care to join me, I wouldn’t mind some company,” she added. She averted her gaze and pushed a lock of hair behind her ear.

Naruto felt queasy. If it had been four years ago, the reason would have been entirely different from what it was now, and the relief he felt at Sasuke’s continued ignorance of Sakura would have been very differently founded as well.

“I could go for a walk,” Naruto said in order to test her. “I’ll join you.”

Sakura’s mouth twisted slightly. She gave Sasuke one last look.

“Never mind,” she said. “I think I’ll just start packing with once.”

She stood and disappeared off between the rows upon rows of tents.

“I don’t get how you stand it,” Naruto said when she was out of hearing range.

“You’re one to talk,” Sasuke pointed out.

Naruto thought about his continued courting of Sakura, and had to admit that Sasuke had a point.

“Well… at least I grew out of it.”

 

\------

 

That night, the last night of the journey, Naruto snuck into Sasuke’s tent again. He laid down behind him. Sasuke didn’t even turn towards him, but Naruto could tell that he was awake. Naruto ran his hand over Sasuke’s shoulder, up to his neck.

“You’re tense,” he murmured.

“Tired,” Sasuke answered.

“Do you want me to leave?”

“… No.”

Naruto smiled to himself.

He sat up so that he was freer to move his hand, and carded it through Sasuke’s hair and down to his shoulder. He massaged him gently. Sasuke relaxed into the firm, steady touch of Naruto’s hand. A small groan escaped him. Naruto paused for half a second because the sound had been one of delight. The innocent little sound seemed to travel from his ears and all the way through his body, lighting up every nook and cranny. He swallowed and slowly carded his fingers through Sasuke’s hair.

Sasuke’s breathing got more even. Naruto thought he’d fallen asleep, but then he groaned under his breath, and Naruto felt his every nerve hum in reaction. He trailed his fingers down along Sasuke's neck and down to the neckline of his t-shirt. He wished that Sasuke wasn’t wearing a shirt. He wanted to touch his skin.

Suddenly, Sasuke turned around so that they were facing each other. Naruto averted his gaze, afraid that Sasuke would see something in them that would reveal what he was thinking.

“Come here,” Sasuke murmured.

Naruto leant down, tilted his head, and hesitated for a moment before he closed the measly inch that separated their lips. The kiss was gentle, despite the need that smoldered in the pit of Naruto's stomach. Sasuke pulled him down, gave a sense of urgency to the kiss. His hand snuck up under Naruto’s shirt. Naruto groaned. Suddenly there was like a string broke inside him, one that had been holding all his feelings, all his needs, safely tucked away. He rolled on top of Sasuke and smashed their mouths together, not caring that their teeth clacked or that he might have bitten his lip… or even Sasuke’s, because there was a coppery tang in his mouth. He felt Sasuke’s hand close around the back of his head, felt the strong fingers press against his scalp. He was holding him in place, tilting his head so that their kiss became even deeper.

Naruto heard someone keen, and realized with a shock that it was himself. He both heard and felt Sasuke groan, the deep sound reverberating through him. He wriggled and gyrated against Sasuke’s body, felt him push up against him and felt the hard line of his cock against his stomach. He breathed out a garbled moan and pushed down harder. He heard his own panting breath mingle with Sasuke’s, focused on the feeling of his breaths puffing rapidly against his cheek, of his deep and subdued groans. At some point tongues got involved and it turned into a battle of who could conquer the others mouth for the longest. Naruto thrust his hips against Sasuke’s thigh in time with the thrusts of his tongue, and soon he was on the brink of an orgasm. He felt it build up in the pit of his belly, and then he stuttered to a halt, his whole body shaking, his mouth opening against Sasuke, gasping as he came, wave after wave, turning his body into jelly, turning his brain into mush, relieving him of any and all self-control until he was panting and shaking over Sasuke.

He rolled to the side when he became coherent enough to do so. He lay on his back next to Sasuke, trying to catch his breath.

When his breathing had finally slowed down enough for him to talk, he became aware of the pressing silence.

He cleared his throat. “Um… That was… unexpected.”

All Sasuke said was ‘hn’. At least it was something. Naruto had no idea what else to say in this situation. Thank you? That was nice? It all sounded too… cheap. Like it was just a one-time thing. Then Sasuke’s fingers curled around his, slipped between his fingers, and squeezed his hand.

“I need to change my clothes,” Sasuke said.

Naruto laughed. It was such a mundane thing to say after what they’d done.

“Me too.”

Naruto borrowed boxers from Sasuke. Afterwards they lay facing each other, each on their uninjured side.

“It took me ages to get what the fuss about girls really was about,” Naruto murmured. “And then it took me another age to figure out why I never got it.”

“No one gave you the birds and the bees talk either?”

Naruto snorted. “No. I heard that reference a million times, but I just never got what people meant.”

“Who took pity on you in the end?”

“Jiriaya, I guess. You know, I knew that men were weak for naked girls. I made the sexy no jutsu, after all. I just didn’t know why. I didn’t want to outright ask because it felt like everyone knew, and everyone expected me to know. So I pretended I got what the deal was. Then I read Jiriaya’s books, and I just got really grossed out.”

They lay in silence for a moment.

“What about you?” Naruto asked.

“You remember that boy in Orochimaru’s hideout I told you about? He was more experienced than me, and he wasn’t shy about telling me what he wanted to do with me.”

Naruto got vary.

“What did he want to do with you?”

Sasuke looked away. Even in the scarce lightning in the tent, Naruto could see that his cheeks were darker.

“Aww!” Naruto poked his cheek. “Are you blushing?!”

Sasuke batted away Naruto’s hand.

“Come on,” Naruto teased. “Don’t be shy. You can tell me.”

“You can probably guess,” Sasuke said a bit tersely.

Naruto bit his lip. “Hm… But you didn’t want to?”

“Not with him.”

Naruto ran his fingers gently through Sasuke’s hair and down his cheek.

“What about with me?”

Sasuke held Naruto’s hand and kissed his knuckles. “I guess you’ll have to wait and see.”

Naruto pouted. “Such a tease…”

He could swear he saw Sasuke’s teeth glint as he smiled just before he nipped at Naruto’s finger.

“Ouch!” Naruto pulled back. “Was that a taste of what’s to come? Because it was kinda hot…”

Sasuke sighed. “Does nothing derail you?”

“Do you want it to?”

Sasuke snuggled closer, and they rearranged themselves so that Sasuke’s head was resting on Naruto’s arm.

“No,” Sasuke said. He nuzzled the base of Naruto’s throat.

“Good, because at this point you’re not getting rid of me easily.”  

He felt Sasuke’s breath against his throat. Slowly, it evened out. Naruto had started dozing when he suddenly heard Sasuke mutter, “I don’t want to get rid of you.”

Naruto smiled and nuzzled Sasuke’s hair.

 


	3. Detainment

 

 

Despite that having Naruto so close to him made him sweaty and hot and uncomfortable, Sasuke relished in the embrace that held him tight the entire night. He slept without dreaming for the second time since forever, the first time being the night before.

When he woke up, it was to the feeling of humid puffs of breath stirring his bangs, and his nose buried in the warm, musky hollow of Naruto’s throat.

He didn’t move for the first twenty minutes. He just waited in anticipation for Naruto to wake up and the day to begin, and whatever lay before them during that day. Sasuke didn’t want to reach Konoha. He wanted to stay under that lousy carpet, on that thin, lumpy sleeping mat in an overly hot tent for as long as possible.

Naruto’s face was healed, but he still looked a bit battered… He had bags under his eyes, and his face was drawn… Sasuke watched him, quietly. He felt calmer when he was next to Naruto. Just seeing him made something in him, among all the broken pieces, feel a little bit all right. Naruto’s severed arm was wrapped up in bandages, just like Sasuke’s, and lying on top of the blanket. Sasuke felt a little sick looking at it. He looked at Naruto’s hand instead. It was resting on his stomach, tan and rough, with dirt under his fingernails from the many days of war and travel.

Sasuke reached out and grabbed his hand. He placed his palm over Naruto’s knuckles, felt the roughened skin and the half-healed wounds against his palm.

Naruto opened his eyes. They looked at each other for a long moment, neither saying anything. Naruto’s eyes were soft. They moved over Sasuke’s face like they were trying to memorize every small detail.

“Can you forgive me?” Sasuke whispered.

Naruto blinked. He caressed Sasuke’s cheek, ran his fingers through his matted and dirty hair. “There’s nothing to forgive,” he murmured. “You know that. I’m just glad you’re here.”

Sasuke buried his face in Naruto’s shirt. It smelled like antiseptics and detergent. Not at all like Naruto. He didn’t even try to stop the tears. There, in the quiet tent, in the darkness, in their little bubble, appearances didn’t matter anymore. They couldn’t matter. There was nothing left that mattered, except them. Together, they were the only thing that made sense.

Eventually they had to get up. Naruto snuck back to his own tent and they pretended that nothing out of the ordinary had happened.

 

\------

 

Sasuke had no misgivings about why he had been placed in the middle of the group that had the best-trained shinobi on their travel back to Konoha. He knew he was being watched closely at all hours of the day. But he hadn’t been restricted, maybe because of the general mayhem after the war, maybe because no one was at their full strength at this point. He didn’t care, but he was grateful because it gave him the freedom to withdraw when he wanted to.

He didn’t sleep much nowadays. Most of the night, he just stared out into thin air, wishing he could see the stars and the sky.

That was, until recently.

When Sasuke watched Naruto interacting with the others, acting like nothing was different, Sasuke almost felt like what had happened between them had been a dream. He wanted to try and touch Naruto just to make sure it was real. But he couldn’t, not among so many people.

He sat down together with the others and ate together with them, but no one seemed to register that he was there. They seemed unsure how to start speaking to him, so they ignored him instead. Naruto tried to drag him into the conversation on a few occasions, but Sasuke only answered with vague, short sentences.

The only one who spoke directly to him was Sakura. She sat close to Sasuke and wouldn’t stop stealing looks at him. Sasuke had almost forgotten how it had used to be before, but now he remembered that this was exactly how Sakura had always been. Always watching him, always adjusting herself to him, as though she was in some sort of one-sided symbiosis with him.

He also remembered how much it used to annoy him. She’d seemed so strong and self-assured during the war. He’d thought she had moved on. And he definitely hoped that she would have moved on after that... extremely brutal way he’d rejected her. It was slightly disconcerting hat she was still behaving exactly as she had nearly four years ago.

He left the campfire after only a few minutes. Someone followed him. He stopped at a secluded, quiet place among the rows of tents. It wasn’t Naruto who caught up with him, but Sakura.

“It was kinda noisy back there, right?” she said.

She blushed and looked down when he looked at her.

He sighed.

“I actually wanted some time alone.”

“Oh…”

He could practically see the cogwheels turning in her head as she tried to figure out a good reason not to leave him.

“Okay,” she finally said, and slunk back to the campfire.

He waited for a while in the same spot, but Naruto didn’t come to find him this time.

 

\-----

 

Sasuke was detained the second they reached Konoha. He didn’t struggle. He’d been expecting it. He couldn’t help but tense up and flinch, though, when they pressed a hard metal plate on over his eyes. Suddenly, he was blinded. He was about to start struggling, but then he heard Naruto’s voice close by.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “I… Tsunade told me, earlier today. It’s nothing I can do, just…”

Sasuke wanted to tell him that it was all right. That he’d expected nothing less. He hadn’t thought that they’d forgotten him. They’d kept tabs on him all this time. But it was better to keep quiet.

He felt a warm hand touch his cheek briefly before he was pulled to his feet.

“I’ll get you out in no time,” Naruto said. “I promise.”

Sasuke appreciated the effort, but he doubted even Naruto could save him. Most probably, he’d be sentenced to death.

Most probably, it’d be for the best.

 

\-----

 

Tsunade had explained to Naruto before they arrived that they’d detain Sasuke once they reached Konoha. She had known he’d be protesting and she made it very clear to him that there would be no way around it. Sasuke needed to be made an example of. Naruto threatened to break Sasuke out of jail if someone even considers death penalty. He could feel a dark, tainted panic well up in him just at the thought of losing Sasuke.

Tsunade promised him that such a thing would never happen. But until Sasuke’s trial was over, he needed to be kept under constant guard.

Sasuke didn’t protest when he was being chained up but Naruto could see that he got a little panicked when they put the blindfolds on him. He fought to remain calm, but the tension was clear in every inch of his body. Naruto watched the whole incident. He had insisted on being there to make sure no one harmed Sasuke. It all went smoothly and Sasuke was placed behind bars. Naruto stayed with him till he was certain that he had calmed down.

 

\------

 

Naruto sat outside the doors of Sasuke’s cell for hours each day. He often fell asleep leaning against the cold iron bars. They spoke little. Often Sasuke just sat on the bed and Naruto just sat on the floor, or leant on the bars. Sometimes he watched Sasuke. Other times he just enjoyed being close to him. The fact that he was so close, and yet so far away was like a physical ache in his body. He wanted to be able to hold him.

Sometimes, when Naruto was almost asleep, Sasuke came over and sat next to him on the floor. Sometimes, Naruto lifted his head and leant his forehead as close to Sasuke’s as he could, other times he lifted a hand and touched his face. Other times still he touched his chin and brought him closer and pressed a kiss to his lips.

He wished he could hold Sasuke’s hand - which was secured behind his back, each finger wrapped so he couldn’t make seals - or look into his eyes. He counted down the days to Sasuke’s trial, and each time it was postponed. He couldn’t stand it. He begged Kakashi to accept the offer to become Hokage. Each day… each hour… each _second_ of waiting was like pulling nails, slowly, one by one.

And all he could do was to watch it happen without the power to stop it.

 

\-----

 

It took a year. _A fucking year_. When Sasuke finally was released, after many lengthy trials and lots of effort from Kakashi, Sakura and Naruto’s side, he didn’t have a place to live and he was so thin that it was painful to look at him.

Naruto offered his place, and Sasuke accepted it. Sasuke looked tired and worn, and talked little. He didn’t even respond to Naruto’s banter. For the first time, Naruto felt a bit out of place together with Sasuke.

Somehow, they got through it. They created a routine. Each day they did the same thing, again and again. Got out of bed, ate, sparred, and then the critical middle of the day where Naruto was reading all the boring documents Kakashi gave him as part of his jounin training and Sasuke just… Naruto wasn’t sure what he did. He had a feeling he just stared emptily into thin air, because when Naruto came home he was often sitting in the same place as he’d left him.

Then it was dinner, followed by the period that Naruto tried to fill with mindless chatter before they went to bed. After a while, Naruto learned that it was okay to be quiet together. After that realization, things became easier. Sasuke started talking when Naruto was quiet for a while and Naruto liked to listen to him.

Slowly but surely, their routine became their life. It became something organic, something that moved with them, something that formed itself around them, wrapping them in security. Naruto liked the life they were building around them, but he could see that Sasuke wasn’t really happy.

 

\-----

 

“I’ve been thinking about leaving Konoha for a while,” Sasuke said one night. They were lying in bed.

Naruto panicked. “Why?” he said hoarsely. “When?”

“I don’t know. I just need to get away from here.”

Naruto could hear the faint grief in his voice, and tried to hold back his rush of questions.

“But… But what about us?”

Sasuke was quiet for a long moment. Then he let out a small sigh. “I’ll come back,” he said. “I’ll come back because you’re here. But only because of that.”

Naruto shuffled closer, choosing to ignore the invisible walls he has noticed around Sasuke lately. He embraced him and ignored the fact that he didn’t respond.

“You better come back,” he muttered. “Or else I’ll come after you again.”

Sasuke cupped Naruto’s face.

“Do you think I’d have come back if I didn’t want to?” he said. “Do you think you could have brought me back if I didn’t want to come?”

Naruto reluctantly shook his head. He knows he couldn’t have. And he wouldn’t.

“When I say I’ll come back,” Sasuke said. “I mean it.”

Naruto couldn’t hold back the tears anymore.

“But I don’t want you to leave,” he whispered.

He was aware that he sounded whiny, but he couldn’t hide his emotions any longer.

Sasuke looked saddened. “I have to go,” he said. “I can’t stay here… You’ll understand if you try.”

Naruto squeezed his eyes shut. Sasuke swiped his thumb over his cheek, wiping away a tear. Naruto swallowed.

“I know,” he said. “I know why… I just… I can’t help being a bit selfish.”

Sasuke placed a soft kiss on his lips. “It isn’t selfish. It’s human, and I’d be worried if you didn’t feel that way.”

He nipped Naruto’s lip and Naruto chuckled in mild surprise.

He curled up against Sasuke’s back as they settled in for sleep, and reveled in his scent and the warmth of his skin.

 


	4. At Ease

Naruto didn't want Sasuke to go and it was difficult to see him leave. But he could understand that there wasn't much of a life for him in Konoha at the time being since he was prohibited from advancing to jounin or even chuunin level.

He didn't see Sasuke off by the gates, but met him in the woods, alone. He handed him his forehead protector, the one he'd been holding onto all this time. He wanted Sasuke to have something to remember him by. Sasuke seemed touched that he’d been keeping it all this time.

 

\-----

 

"Have you thought about, you know... love?" Sakura asked.

“Love?”

“Yeah, I mean… finding someone.”

“Uh…”

“You know what love is, right?” Sakura smiled crookedly.

“Of course I know,” Naruto said. “It’s the same feeling I have for ramen.”

Sakura elbowed him. "Very funny."

Naruto chuckled.

"No, but seriously, Sakura. Are you coming on to me?"

She rolled her eyes. "I'm just saying that I hate to see you alone."

"What about yourself? You're alone too."

Sakura blushed a bit. "Well..." She smiled and pushed a lock of hair behind her ear. "Maybe... Maybe not for so much longer."

"What do you mean?"

"You know when Sasuke left? I think maybe... I had a good feeling, you know?"

"Mm..."

"He's been different lately... more attentive,"

"Yeah... um... Sakura, there's something you should know..."

Suddenly she grabbed his arm.

"Hey, look, Hinata’s over there! Let's talk to her!"

Before Naruto could get a word in edgewise she had called Hinata over.

An hour later Naruto finally managed to excuse himself. He didn’t know what was up with Sakura. She constantly tried to leave him alone with Hinata, almost like… was she trying to set them up? Naruto stopped dead in the street. Shit… she was! He really needed to talk to her about this.

 

\-----

 

Naruto dreamt of Sasuke. He was walking through a desert, alone, tired. Naruto woke with a feeling of dread, but then he realized it had just been a dream. Sasuke had sent him a letter just a few days ago, saying he was on his way back to Konoha. Naruto wasn’t sure why he would have that dream now of all times.

Already a few days later Sasuke came back. Naruto hadn’t expected him to return so soon, but then he woke up in the middle of the night and heard the shower run in his bathroom. He sat up and rubbed his eyes. He’d had a dream about Sasuke again, he just couldn’t quite remember what it’d been about. All he remembered was that he was afraid. The clock showed 03.21. Naruto went into the bathroom and, without taking off his sleeping pants, stepped into the shower and embraced Sasuke from behind. Sasuke didn’t even flinch. He must have heard him come in. He turned around and Naruto kissed him deeply. It had been so long. Almost two years. They’d kept contact through messages and had even met a few times outside of Konoha, but it still felt too long. He kissed every inch of Sasuke’s skin that was within his immediate vicinity. Cheekbones, eyelids, bridge of nose… He hugged him.

Sasuke nuzzled the side of his neck.

They dried off and went to bed, huddling close together.

“You got your arm,” Sasuke said.

Naruto grinned. “And I plan to put it to good use.”

“It’s even warm to the touch.”

“I can feel stuff too, but more dully.”

They kissed for a little while longer, until Sasuke turned around so that Naruto could spoon him. He was tried from the trip and fell asleep fast. Naruto stayed awake a little longer. Sasuke smelled like Naruto's sandalwood soap, the one he claimed he didn't like because it dried out his skin. Naruto might have used up Sasuke's olive soap while he was gone, so that was probably why. Nevertheless, Naruto liked the scent on Sasuke. He snuggled closer and pressed his face to the back of Sasuke’s neck.

 

\-----

 

They had tried to have sex before Sasuke left. It had been something they both were a little nervous about. Sasuke hadn’t been up to that sort of thing for the first few months after he got released. He had generally seemed very depressed.

The first time was a little awkward. They kept bumping into each other, and Naruto talked too much because he was nervous. He was the only one who got anything out of it. He came too fast, before he even got properly inside of Sasuke.

They tried again a while later with slightly better results, but then Sasuke left and after that there hadn’t been any new attempts. Naruto wasn’t sure if Sasuke simply didn’t like sex, or if it was his mental state that kept him from wanting it, but either way Naruto felt it was best to wait for Sasuke to initiate.

Not long after he came back, he did.

One night, the goodnight kiss became a little more heated than usual, and then clothes were being pulled off and a desperate search for lube and condoms commenced. They rolled around on the bed, hands searching and squeezing, mouths hungrily tasting, fingers probing. It started out great.

Then they came to the part that they still hadn’t completely figured out. Naruto was starting to get nervous, afraid that he’d come too soon. He suggested they could switch, even though the idea was daunting to him, but Sasuke wanted him to proceed. So they did, and it seemed to go well… for the first thirty seconds.

“Augh…”

Naruto stopped. “Does it hurt?” he asked breathlessly. “Should I stop?”

Sasuke shook his head. “No… it’s okay… ah…”

“You sure…?”

Naruto was breathing harshly into Sasuke’s ear. He was pushing in too fast. To Sasuke, it just felt more and more painful by the second. Finally, he grabbed Naruto’s hip and clutched it like a vice. Naruto stopped.

“Not so fast,” Sasuke bit out.

He could feel the effort Naruto put into being careful. His breathing was ragged. At times a small growling whine escaped him. His whole body was shaking. He rubbed his nose and cheek against Sasuke’s shoulder, presumably in frustration because it wasn’t exactly a nuzzle. His hips moved choppily. He forgot himself every other second, pushing too hard or too fast, and then the next second he held himself back, a small groan escaping him.

Sasuke was slowly getting more relaxed. He felt how Naruto slowly inched a tiny bit further in with each movement. The sting of the stretching started to gain a sweetness to it that surprised Sasuke. He’d had no idea that it could feel this way. Unconsciously, he started angling his hips. Naruto slid into him more easily and brushed a place that made his whole body resonate.

Naruto came far too fast. His groan made shivers run down Sasuke’s entire spine. He soaked up the feeling Naruto’s tremors elected in him. He must have groaned, because he heard Naruto mutter ‘damn’ with wonder. He was still inside Sasuke, and during his orgasm he still moved a bit. This time Sasuke heard his own groan too. It sounded very loud now that Naruto wasn’t making noises anymore.

Naruto pulled out of him and flopped down next to him. Sasuke remained in the same position, on his back with his knees bent. He reached down and stroked himself, but it couldn’t quite reach up to the feeling of having Naruto inside him.

Naruto caressed his thigh. Sasuke wished he would caress him a little further up. The touch was enough to make his balls tighten, and when Naruto rubbed little circles right on the inside of his thigh where he was most sensitive it wasn’t long before he came all over his stomach.

“I guess we’re getting better at it,” Sasuke said once he got his breath back.

Naruto laughed.

“If we continue at this pace, I might be able to make you come first before we reach thirty.”

“Hm, if I’m lucky.”

Naruto shoved him.

 

\-----

 

“We have to tell her,” Sasuke said.

“Who?”

“Sakura.”

“Did something happen?”

“No… She just keeps giving me these hopeful looks. She acts as though we have an agreement about something, but I have never agreed to anything.”

“Um, yeah… I think she reads a lot into… uh… into everything.”

“What is there to read into? I’m friendly with her, but that’s all.”

“In contrast to how you used to be before, that’s probably as good as flirting in Sakura’s eyes.”

“Shit… Will you come with me? When I tell her?”

“When you tell her you don’t love her? Or when you come out to her?”

“When I tell her I’m dating you.”

“Ooh…” Naruto grinned. “You’re gonna tell her that?”

“If it’s okay for you?”

“Yeah, sure… I guess it’s better this way. To just get it out there.”

 

\-----

 

Sakura seemingly took it better than expected. It was a bit weird that she got so quiet, though, and a few days later she canceled some plans with Naruto. She didn’t talk to them for a while, but after few months she came around. It only took her a while to get used to the idea. She acted a bit different around them, though, and avoided talking about their relationship.

 

\-----

 

“I did it!” Naruto called into the apartment the second he opened the door. He dropped his scrolls in the hall and hurried into the living room. Sasuke was sitting in the windowsill in a t-shirt, his pants folded up to his knees. The room was hot, but a fan was standing on a table, giving some semblance of a breeze.

“I passed the test! I’m a jounin!”

Sasuke smiled. “Are you surprised?”

“Not really, but it does feel good.”

Sasuke reached up and Naruto hugged him. “Congrats.”

Naruto kissed him. The kiss lasted, and then it became heated. Naruto clutched the back of Sasuke’s shirt. Sasuke tugged at Naruto’s flak jacket.

“Are we doing it right now?” Naruto said between kisses. “Right here?”

“Looks that way…” Sasuke didn’t stop kissing him, didn’t stop trying to tug his sweater off.

“Fuck, yeah.” Naruto pulled Sasuke’s shirt clean off in one sweep. Then he tugged him with him down to the floor. Sasuke stumbled on top of him. They landed in a heap on the floor and continued kissing. Sasuke tugged down Naruto’s pants, and then he kissed his way down his stomach.

Naruto gasped when Sasuke’s lips closed around his cock. He moved on far too soon. Naruto stopped him from getting to his feet.

“Where are you going?”

“Getting lube… and condoms…”

Naruto let him go, and soon he was back. He straddled Naruto’s lap and leant down to kiss him. Naruto squeezed his ass. Then he snuck his hands under the hem of his pants, and pulled his pants down so he could squeeze the naked globes of his ass. Sasuke gasped softly. He gave Naruto the lube and continued trailing kisses down his jaw and neck while Naruto loosened him. He rutted impatiently against Naruto’s stomach, squeezing their cocks together.

“Careful,” Naruto panted. “I’m gonna come too soon…”

He’d expected Sasuke to maybe… he wasn’t sure, maybe get on his back or something, but instead he just got into position on top of Naruto, and sank right down on him. Naruto felt a jolt of pleasure rush through him from the sight of Sasuke sitting down on him just as much as from the actual feeling of his tight ass around his cock.

“Sas’ke,” he gasped, and clutched Sasuke’s hips. “Fuck… Hot… Damn…”

Sasuke took it slowly. He took his time getting used to the stretch and often leant down to kiss Naruto. Naruto tried to focus on taking deep, slow breaths and not blowing his load too soon. It was difficult with Sasuke looking so incredibly hot. His mouth was half open, and his eyes screwed shut each time he managed to find a good angle. His hair was plastered to his forehead. The other times when they’d had sex, the room had been partially dark. Now he could see Sasuke in perfect detail. Every inch of his beautiful face as he lost himself.

Naruto’s hands tightened on Sasuke’s hips.

“Fuck,” he muttered.

Sasuke leant down to kiss him again, rolling his hips as he did. They both groaned. Sasuke thrust his hips faster, and Naruto strained up to meet him. Sasuke grasped Naruto’s hand and placed it over his cock. Naruto took the hint and started jerking him off, fast, eager to get them both off. As Sasuke’s mouth opened in a silent moan, his body tensing, Naruto grasped his hips harder and thrust up into him faster. Sasuke moaned as he came, the sound completely unchecked. It was enough to push Naruto over the edge of his orgasm too.

Sasuke kneeled over Naruto, panting, for a long while afterwards. Naruto reached up and caressed his face.

“Obviously,” Sasuke said, “I need to be on top.”

Naruto laughed.

 

\-----

 

After that first time of an almost two year absence, Sasuke seldom left for more than a year at a time. Naruto came with him after he finished his jounin training. He couldn’t stand being away from Sasuke for so long, but he understood that Sasuke, although he would like to stay with Naruto, couldn’t stay in the village for long periods of time. He had nothing to do and nothing that tied him there except for Naruto. And Naruto could easily move around, so he might as well come with Sasuke.

They travelled a lot for a few years and just experienced the world. They took on smaller missions for people that needed help and lived on what they had from day to day. One night they might sleep under the stars, the next they were offered a warm bed in a town they passed through, and other times again they had enough money to stay at an inn.

Naruto enjoyed that time, but he also longed back to the village. Finally he managed to convince Sasuke to try and stay in Konoha for a while. Naruto took up work as a shinobi again, and after a while he managed to pull some strings so that Sasuke could get reinstated as a shinobi again. He managed to reach jounin level twice as fast as Naruto, seeing as he had no problem with the extensive amount of reading that was required before one could take the final test. He could sit quietly and read for hours on end, while Naruto got impatient after half a paragraph.

They started taking on missions together and soon became commended for their ability to work seamlessly together.

In these peace times, though, work soon became scarce for a shinobi and Sasuke started talking about travelling again. Naruto had been offered the position as Hokage, but he had to think about it. If he took it, then he would be confined to Konoha; the exact place that Sasuke abhorred.

“You could always resign if it doesn’t suit you,” Sasuke said.

“Resign? I can’t just become Hokage and then _resign_.”

Sasuke shrugged. “I’m just saying you don’t need to keep the post for your entire life. Both Tsunade and Kakashi only kept the post for a few years.”

“I guess…”

“Do you want it?”

“Well… Yeah, I do, but… I want to stay with you more.”

Sasuke smiled. “Don’t worry about that. If you’re Hokage… Then perhaps Konoha won’t be such a bad place for me… If you know what I mean.”

Naruto grinned. “I do.” He kissed Sasuke’s cheek. “I’ll do my best to put things right.”

Sasuke kissed him. “I know you will. Besides… I was thinking maybe I could do like most other couples our age and become a stay at home parent.”

Naruto didn’t quite get the full impact of what Sasuke had said at first. He just smiled emptily at him, but then things started clicking.

“You… You… What?”

Sasuke shrugged. “I don’t know about you, but I thought that maybe this is the right time to start a family. You talk about kids all the time, so…”

“Wait, wait, hold it.” Naruto grabbed Sasuke’s upper arms. “You’re saying you want kids?”

“Yeah…?”

A huge grin broke out on his face. “Are you serious? Really? I thought… You never speak about it so I figured… You really want to?”

“Yes, I already said…”

Naruto cut him off by pulling him into a bone-crushing hug. “I love you,” he repeated, over and over again. “I love you so fucking much, Sasuke.”

He kissed Sasuke, again and again.

Sasuke chuckled. “If I’d known you wanted it this much… ah!” Naruto toppled him over on the sofa. “I wouldn’t have waited so long,” he finished as Naruto descended on him, cradling him in his arms and peppering him with kisses.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here’s the sappily happy ending we all deserve ^^


End file.
